Toy dart projectile



Dec. 23, 1952 W. FRITSCHE TOY DART PROJECTILE Filed Aug. 24, 1949 INVENTOR ATTORNEYJ' Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 24, 1949, Serial No. 112,143

In Brazil September 1, 1948 The object of the present invention is a toy projectile which may be thrown a considerable distance, say 20 or 30 meters by means of a slingshot or other elastic propelling device in the manner of an arrow shot from a bowstring, thus serving for target-shooting in which great marksmanship can be acquired by practice.

The toy projectile is made from suitable inexpensive flexible material, preferably cardboard, which is out to the proper shape, folded and secured in its folded condition in the manner herein described and illustrated.

The toy projectile according to the invention owes its exceptional efficiency in target-shooting to a novel construction of its head portion which is reinforced and enlarged or expanded so as to compensate structural irregularities and assure balance throughout its trajectory.

The projectile according to the invention may assume two different forms of construction, viz:

(a) It may be formed with means whereby the head portion thereof is secured permanently in its enlarged or expanded condition or (b) The members of the head portion thereof may be arranged so that they cause the said enlargement or expansion to be formed automatically when the elastic propelling means applied to it is drawn for shooting.

It is to be noted, however, that both constructions involve the same principle, embodied in the blank which is used for forming the toy projectileand which, by itself,.is covered by the invention as an article of manufacture to be sold in its fiat, cutout form, being provided with score lines and with a securing device integral therewith, so that the users themselves may fold and secure it in the folded conditions to form the projectile, without employing tools of any kind.

All this is clearly shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the variant in which the head or tip of the projectile is permanently constructed;

Figure 2 is a top view of the head or tip;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the second variant in which the head or tip of the projectile is movable to be enlarged when launched, showing the head or tip in the flat position;

Figure 4 is a similar view of the variant shown in Figure 3, with the movable head or tip in the expanded position to which it is brought by the action of a propelling rubber band;

Figure 5 is a plan of the blank or base piece which is identical for both variants, showing in dotted lines the projections which are omitted for the variant of Figures 3 and 4;

6 Claims. (Cl. 273-106.5)

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the front end of the blank piece showing the manner in which" the principal folding operation is to be performed" in order to use the projectile.

As seen from Figure 1, the projectile according to the invention comprises a head portion I a body portion 2 and a tail portion 3, all of one single piece of cardboard or other suitable flexible material. The head portion is made up of four plies of material which are obtained by its being folded twice, first transversely and then, longitudinally together with the body and tail portions, which gives a certain rigidity to the whole. The

inner plies 4 of the head are connected with the which lines are disposed parallel and close to the The whole projectile is main-Z tained in its folded position, ready for use, by means of a lateral projection Iii which is integral said nose lines.

ly formed with the outer ply on one side of the head portion and the hooked end of which is turned so as to be inserted into a notch or cut ll formed in the outer ply of the other side of the head portion, which notch preferably is formed as an extension of the said longitudinal opening 8. The head portion presents at its rear"- ward lower end an undercut recess I2 'to which the impelling device is applied for shooting. The depth of this recess I2 is approximately. equal to" half of the width of the projectile at thatpoint.

This serves the purpose of imparting to the pro-. I

jectile a straight-line impulse, the bottom of the recess thus being on a line perpendicular to the center of the nose line 6.

In Figure l, the head portion of the projectile has on the lower edge of its inner plies 4 lateral projections I3 and I4 between which the hook portion l t is firmly held, whereby the outer plies 5 of the head portion are also firmly secured in their laterally expanded position and the nose portion 6, 9 (Fig. 2) remains equally arched in conformity with the additional score lines 9.

In accordance with an alternative construction, shown in Figure 3, the projection l4 of the inner plies may be omitted, whereby the outer plies 5 of the head portion become movable. In this case, the outer plies 5 lie flat upon the inner plies 4, the rear edges l2 of the outer plies projecting slightly beyond the rear edges l2, of the inner Additional score lines 9 for creasing are manufacture, a blank consisting of a single-piece.

cut out from a suitable flexible material andused" for forming the projectile which isitheobjectof the present invention.

In its outline, as shown in Figure 5, theblank;

comprising head I body 2 and tail 3 forming portions,'foldable along a central longitudinal crease line IS. The head forming portion I shows an approximately medial, transverse score line 6 and an; additional; score-line: 9-para1lel and close to the medialJscore line and disposed, forwardly thereof; The forward part of the'headforming portion is provided with; an elongated-opening- 8 centrally and longitudinally disposed therein; which opening extends as shown, slightly beyond the said medial scoreline 6;. but. in accordance with the invention, it may also extend as far as the medial score line 6-.' Thehead forming portion further is provided with four undercut recesses, two forwardly andtwo rearwardly, forming the four corners! 2, the depth. of the undercuts being. substantially a quarter of the whole width ofthe blank at those points. One:- side of the head forming. portion is provided forwardly with a lateral hook-shapedprojection l 0-, integral thereand-oppositelythereto, cut into the other siderof the head forming, portion is a notch H, preferably.- formed. as a transverse extension ofthempening: 8; The: said rearward undercuts l2 arepreferably at a; slightly' shorter distancefrom the; saickmedialscore; line 6,-so that on transverse folding along; that; scoreline B, as shown in Figure 6*, the'forwardundercuts l2 slightly overlap the rearward-undercuts l2, and upon subsequent longitudlnalfifolding of the whole blank along line [6:- and; inserting the hook I0 into the'notch' H. the! projectile is formed, ready for use, substantially'as shown in Figures '1 and 3.

It is-to-be-understood, of'course,-that the models of; projectiles as shown and described may be executed, stillwithin the scope of the invention claimed; that is; Without. any change inits essen-- tial'features-,1in such a manner, that on transverse folding-"and subsequent longitudinal folding of the: head: portion, its; forward part lies: inside forming:- the inner plies. Noessential changes atallitakeplacez as far as constructions and operation'for' expansion and arching are concerned.

Having thus described the: invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patient is:

1 A toy projectile. for use With an impelling device such as a sling and formed from a single piece'of flexible sheet material cut and-folded so as: to include head; body and tail portions, the head portion comprising, in combination, outer plies connected-with. each other along the longitudinal crease line of. the projectile, inner plies connected with each other along the, saidlongitudinal crease line, transverse score lines forming the nose of the projectile and connecting the outer and inner plies of each side of the projectile, an elongated opening formed forwardly along the top of the outer plies and extending at least to the said transverse score lines, additional score lines provided on the front part of the outer plies andidisposed parallel and close tothesaid transverse score lines, so that on operating the projectile, the forward portions of the outer plies expand and the nose portion becomes arched alongthesaid additional score lines.

2; A toy projectile according to claim 1, further comprising. an undercut recess constituting thelower rearward end of'the four-ply head portion: and; deep enough for its bottom to be in a line perpendicular to the center of the nose line of the projectile.

3. A toy projectile according to claim 1, further comprising the combination of a hook-shaped projection'integrally formed with the outer ply on one side ofthe-head portion and a notch or cut formed in the-outer ply on the other side-thereof andpreferably connected with the said elongated opening on the top thereof; so that byinsertion of the said hook into the said notch, the four plies of the head portion are held together.

4. As an. article of' manufacture, a blank cut from a. single piece. of'flexible sheetmaterial, presenting. head, body and tail forming portions of a projectile and having. a central longitudinal crease: line, the head forming: portion being provided with a transverse score line for folding its forward part backwards so as to lie on its rear-- ward part, additional score lines parallel to and forwardly of the said, transverse score line, and an elongated opening: centrally and longitudinally disposed in thehead forming portion and'extendingatleastto the said score-lines.

5.; As. an article; of manufacture, a blank ac cording-toclaim 4 in which the head forming portion is providedkon'each side with undercuts, two forwardly" and two. rearwardly ofthe transverseiscore line, the former being preferably'at'a slightlygreater' distance. from the said' transverse score. line thanthe latter and the bottoms of' the undercuts being on a line perpendicular to the center of each half or the said transverse score line.

6;. As an article'of manufacture, a blank according to claim 4, in which one side of the head f rming portionisprovided with, a lateral hookshaped projection integral therewith and'theopposite, side has a notch preferably formed as a transverse extension; of they said centrally and longitudinally disposed elongated opening.

WALTER FRITSCHE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

